The 9 Best Compass Apps for Android

You can download a compass app to your Android device and use it to track your route, speed, distance, and altitude. At the basic level, a compass app should use your phone’s sensors to help you navigate through new terrains and return to your location.

Here’s our list of nine best compass apps for Android.

1. Compass 360 Pro

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Compass 360 Pro is arguably the best free compass app for Android to use in areas with internet connectivity issues. The app seems accurate most of the time and works completely offline.

The app uses the help of your phone’s magnetic sensor to show readings. It has magnetic and true north, with self-variation, and an option to view your altitude, longitude, and latitude. You can use the tool’s decimal bearing to access detailed directions, or the cardinal bearing to get general directions.

The Android app also features a dampened compass card that swings naturally to provide quick-to-view orientation. This coupled with its ability to work anywhere in the world makes it an ideal choice for adventuresome globetrotters. Plus, it’s highly customizable with multiple skins and many languages to choose from.

Download: Compass 360 Pro (Free)

2. Compass Steel

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Compass Steel is a simple, ad-free compass app with true heading and magnetic heading. The compass is touted for its accuracy and high contrast for improved readability. The self-calibrating app has a tilt-compensation feature that helps get correct measurements. You can set and save target directions as well.

It also features a sun and moon direction indicator and comes with multicolor themes to choose from.

Download: Compass Steel (Free)

3. Digital Compass

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If you’re looking for a simplistic design that shows both magnetic and true north, then Digital Compass might fit the bill.

You can use the app to determine the direction you’re facing, including bearing, azimuth, or degree. Use the compass to find your current location, slope angle, altitude, sensor status, and magnetic field strength.

Digital Compass is built using a magnetometer, accelerator, gyroscope, and gravity. As such, you can use it for several functions, like adjusting your TV antenna, finding horoscopes, and showing Qibla direction.

The app also lets you add a direction pointer marker and calibrate less accurate readings. To calibrate, just wave your device in the “figure 8” motion.

Download: Digital Compass (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Compass

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The feature-rich Compass has magnetic and true heading with many longitude and latitude formats. It provides easy-to-remember location codes you can use instead of street addresses. Better yet, you can access readings on a locked screen or while using other apps.

The app allows you to mark your current location to navigate back to where you came from quickly. You can also mark your preferred azimuth and copy and paste GPS coordinates on a map.

Compass by Fulmine Software doesn’t require unnecessary permissions. The navigation app also works without data connection or GPS, just like these offline GPS apps for Android.

Download: Compass (Free) | Compass Pro ($2.49)

5. Just a Compass

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Just a Compass is an ad-free compass app with a straightforward interface and no unnecessary permissions.

It shows your true altitude and several formats for latitude and longitude. But you’ll need to connect your Android device to the internet to see the address of your current location.

The functional app also shows sunrise and sunset times. Plus it supports UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) for assigning coordinates on the earth’s surface, and EGM96 (Earth Gravitational Model) for geoid referencing.

Download: Just a Compass (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Compass Galaxy

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Compass Galaxy is a no-frills compass app without unnecessary permissions. Thanks to its simple interface and minimal features it is very beginner friendly .

The compass does not have lots of ads and uses little device memory. The app also notifies you anytime it needs calibration. Just gesture a “figure 8” with your Android device to calibrate it.

Download: Compass Galaxy (Free)

7. Compass Steel 3D

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Compass Steel 3D comes packed with features, like self-calibration, and true and magnetic heading. It’s also ad-free, with multiple color themes to choose from.

As you tilt your Android device, the compass appears to move in 3D, almost like you’re holding a traditional compass.

The app has a sun and moon direction indicator, as well as timings for the sun and moon. It, however, requires access to your location coordinates. This should not cause much worry as the app uses these to calculate the useful true heading.

Download: Compass Steel 3D (Free)

8. Smart Compass

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Smart Compass comes with a GPS speedometer, a screen capture tool, and a metal detector that helps measure the magnetic field via your phone’s magnetic sensor.

The compass has a standard mode that uses your device’s camera for a real-life view of your surroundings. Other modes you can use include night, digital, telescope, and a Google Maps mode with both satellite and street maps.

To remove ads, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version. The premium option features a car locator, Qibla finder, individual metal detector, and support for sharing your GPS location.

Download: Smart Compass (Free) | Smart Compass Pro ($2.50)

9. Compass

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Compass is an ad-free app that’s easy to navigate and calibrate. The app has a magnetic declination correction feature for best accuracy.

You can quickly install it (even on your SD card) and start searching for new places by name or address. Here’s how to move apps to an SD card.

The compass app for Android supports multiple coordinate formats and shows the angle in degrees. It computes elevation using EGM96 and shows horizontal accuracy based on your phone’s GPS sensor.

Use it to calculate altitude above sea level or find the shortest route to a place. The app also helps you find Qibla, save places to track later, and tell the times for sunrise and sunset.

Download: Compass (Free, in-app purchases available)

Enjoy the Convenience of a Compass on Your Android Device

Phone compass apps are a great way to determine your location and return direction. Most of the apps we’ve listed are free and very easy to use, with no set up needed.

However, navigating through the unknown and undiscovered world can be challenging; and your compass may fail. As such, you may want to use alternative travel apps to make your tours easy and more fun.